Unlimited food and hay? Really? For how long?

[marymac]

Humperdink the mini lop is almost 10 weeks. I read that baby rabbits should have unlimited hay and pellets. Well, Humperdink definitely takes advantage of the all you can eat buffet. :eats:He is eating alfalfa hay mixed with Timothy in one "hay ball" fill up, then Timothy the rest of the day. We usually fill up his hay ball 3 times a day, whenever it's empty. Then there's the pellets...he eats Purina Show and we started out giving him 1/3 cup, now have gone up to 1/2 cup. My husband fed him twice yesterday and then when I got home last night, his bowl was empty, so I fed him again. He has no treats because he's too young still. He does nibble on his straw hidey hut from time to time.

I want him to be healthy and will feed him as much as he needs. He is certainly a growing boy and we are amazed at how much bigger he is since he came home with us. I just don't want him to end up being overweight or have a difficult time with him transitioning away from the all you can eat deal.

Input...ideas...?

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

Young bunnies do need lots of food to grow to their full potential. You would also be surprised at how much an adult can pack away too. Rabbits do need to graze more than have set meals, so they need to have food avaliable to them.

Most smaller breeds tend to be full grown at about 5-6 months. At that point you can start to reduce the amount of pellets and start to cut out the alfalfa. You don't want to do it too fast, over a couple weeks can be good. With reducing the alfalfa hay, you can just use up what you have and then he just has timothy since he is used to eating it.

I would get him a bigger hay rack so you don't have to fill it as often. If the hay ball is what I think it is (wire ball that you can stuff with hay and hang from the cage), it is really not big enough to provide enough hay for a rabbit. I have one that I fill up along with the hay rack and I use it as a toy. You can also put some in the litter box or just have a pile in the cage so that he gets lots.

I would continue to give measured amounts of pellets. This allows you to monitor what he is eating so you can spot if he is not eating sooner.

 

[OakRidgeRabbits]

Some people do suggest unlimited pellets and hay.

Personally, I still prefer to limit the pellets and hay to prevent digestive struggles. I have small breed rabbits and offer about 1/2 cup of pellets per day and unlimited hay to both growing juniors and to adults.

So it is up to what you want to do. If your rabbit is a "normal" eater, unlimited may be fine. But if he likes to gorge himself, it may be best to limit to what he'll clean up within a reasonable amount of time so that he's not just constantly packing it away. lol

 

[Eli]

Unlimited pellets and hay is only for young rabbits, up to 6 months old. Adult rabbits (+6 months old) should have limited pellets and unlimited timothy hay. It is recommended that rabbits get 2 kinds of hay (except alfalfa - that is a treat).

Adults should eat timothy-based pellets, whereas young rabbits should eat alfalfa-based pellets. They won't like timothy-based pellets as much. However, this prevents them from engorging themselves on pellets and ignoring their hay. Make sure to check the ingredients listing because I have found some ingredients that are cause for concern, such as molasses and sodium lignosulfonate. I have posted previously regarding these ingredients in detail and feed in general. If you are interested, check out my other posts as well.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

:yeahthat:

 

[marymac]

I actually have another hay rack here, so I will try that in another area of the cage.

My pellets do have molasses, but the only sodium related thing contained is salt. They are alfalfa based. Thanks, Eli, I'll check out those posts.

 

[OakRidgeRabbits]

Eli wrote:

Adults should eat timothy-based pellets, whereas young rabbits should eat alfalfa-based pellets.

It's important to note that opinions vary on this, mostly depending on the content of the rest of the diet. Alfalfa-based pellets can be used throughout adulthood as well, if they are fed properly.

Diets are variable, so the most important thing is finding what works for you and your bun. A lot of times, this depends mostly on what kind of pellets, hay, etc., are available to you.